Nux Historia
by 6lilystrings9
Summary: Judai is a college sophomore with the weird habit of talking to himself. Yusei is a high school freshman with a complicated history and no idea why he has such a weird birthmark. Somewhere love is going to happen here. Also, Pharoah is there even though pets are totally against their landlady's rules. (Yu-Gi-Oh! Yu-Gi-Oh!GX Yu-Gi-Oh!5Ds crossover AU. Yaoi. Eventual smut.)
1. Settling In (Not)

When Yusei met Judai for the first time he was left with the strangest impression, a gut feeling if you will, that Judai was more than he appeared to be. It something like a pull at something deep inside of him that made him think Judai was a lot smarter than his energetic and simple-mindedly plucky personality let on.

It was when he was treated to the sight of the brunette moving his things into their nice apartment that his gut impressions were confirmed. As his ears picked up his roommate shuffling things around in his own bedroom, Yusei's eyes spotted Judai's textbooks. Supplementary textbooks in mathematics made sense for a college student, but there were some unrelated hobbyist texts there that he, oddly enough, found both predictable and surprising. Namely the Duel Monsters Encyclopedia and other enthusiast paraphernalia for the niche hobby. Even though Judai hasn't been seen with a single card, the interest in the game struck Yusei as oddly fitting. Right, somehow.

That all being said, there were some books that completely threw him for a loop, like theoretical physics, quantum mechanics, and advanced astronomical sciences like astrophysics. Looking at Judai's overabundance of energy as he busied strangely through the apartment like a restless puppy, Yusei wouldn't think Judai capable of sitting through complex science lectures with titles he could barely read. But if his roommate was taking this level of academia as a sophomore, he must have been quite that only begged the question of why someone so apparently talented in complex sciences would need a supplementary mathematics textbook.

Odd collection of textbooks aside, it was just another lesson for him not to judge other's capabilities by outward appearances. A man in his position should know that better than anyone.

Judai didn't seem to own much, going by the small size of the mover's vehicle and how quickly he finished with a lazy flop onto the red and cream sofa. "I sold most of it." he supplied with an answering grin to Yusei's puzzled look. "I figured my roomie would have his own stuff and didn't wanna crowd the place."

Yusei looked at the sparse room with a slightly guilty look. He had come with the clothes on his back, his deck, his bike, and a twenty-thousand yen allowance packed neatly in his pocket, supplied by –and Yusei resisted gritting his teeth a little- Godwin. His roommate sold all his furniture for nothing. "Sorry." He said, mostly apologizing for the situation itself. He came from Satellite, so it should go without saying he didn't have much in the way of valuables worth taking into a new apartment. He couldn't feel guilty about that, about not owning much, but he did feel a little bad about his roommate's furniture mishap.

"Nah, it's cool." Judai said with a sheepish grin. "It's my fault for not asking first."

Yusei nodded and hesitated to ask his next question, but as a duelist he craved the knowledge. "I apologize for prying, Judai, but I saw those Duel Monsters books. Are you a duelist?"

There was a brief flicker of something in his brown eyes; Yusei couldn't tell what it meant. Whatever took over his thoughts seemed to have passed, because Judai responded after a short second spent staring into space. "Actually, yeah. And I'm not bad at it either. Why? Did you wanna play?" His wicked grin spoke volumes of just how "not bad" he was.

"Maybe later." Yusei said apologetically at Judai's disappointed face, feeling a little disappointed himself. "I really need to finish the paperwork for school."

Judai's face lit up, instantly bouncing between moods with a fluidity that kind of amazed Yusei. "Oh that's right, you're in high school! A freshman, right?"

He nodded, but didn't feel the need to mention that he was going to be a year older than his classmates.

"Well, I guess it can wait then." Judai said with a face that looked like he was eating a lemon. It was a childish pout that Yusei couldn't resist briefly smiling at. His roommate's open expressiveness and cheer was foreign to him, after everything, but it was also warm and refreshing.

Yusei settled back into his room to finish the paperwork he had forgone in favor of helping Judai move his things in. Most of the papers were a basic inquiry on his financial, racial, and medical history. Some were more complex questionnaires as to the nature of his criminal history, as evidenced by his facial tracker, and the likelihood of him repeating his crimes. One was a survey about his home life that he knew to be a thinly-veiled probe into possible personal weaknesses; he suspected this one might have been Godwin's doing.

He filled them out as best he could while trying to avoid the bad taste in his mouth developed from thinking about shairng his personal history to strangers and Godwin. It was a necessary evil, though, if he wanted his end of the deal. It was dark by the time he was finished, so Yusei neatly packed the papers into his new school issued book-bag and tucked into bed.

He never was a late riser, despite also being a night owl. It seemed that no matter how little sleep he got he would always rise with the sun. He quickly dressed himself into the blue uniform, buttoned and assembled with textbook propriety, and prepared a simple rice and miso breakfast. He had heard somewhere that western-style breakfasts were popular in the city and were even quicker to make, but they were unheard of in Satellite and he didn't know how to make them. Yusei wasn't even sure what exactly a "western-style breakfast" was. He might ask Judai sometime.

He quickly brushed his teeth and was out the door, revving up the red motorcycle that he had built from scraps and rode off for school.

He still couldn't believe it. School. Satellite didn't have a way of formal education; he was taught to read and write at his orphanage, but he doubted it was enough to get by in formal education. Yusei hardly knew any traditional kanji and he only knew what little he did because, as a mechanic, he had to learn to understand instruction manuals. While he was good enough now to tinker without always knowing what he was dealing with, he certainly wasn't when he was starting out and he had the small scars on his hands to prove how many times his projects had gone awry.

While he didn't particularly care about fitting in, he at least hoped he wouldn't make a spectacle of himself. Unlikely, given the marks on his face alone would be a beacon for negative attention.

Domino High School was oddly quaint in the middle of Domino City, where it was next to high-tech and state of the art buildings. It was a public school, so it wasn't as updated as the nearby nicer ones. But _everything_ in the city was nice compared to Satellite, so Yusei could hardly find anything to complain about. He found the student entrance by following the mass of blue and pink uniforms inside while trying to keep his face down, but the inside of the school was strangely designed. Rather than straight long hallways and stairs to keep things organized, there were many intersections and stairs within rooms. It took some searching, but he found the office in the west wing of the building. Odd, because it made more sense for the middle to have those central services. Domino High School must have been an old school with additional architecture and buildings haphazardly tacked on as time went by. Yusei was vaguely aware of reading about that somewhere.

"Excuse me." He said politely to a secretary typing something into a computer.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that." She smiled apologetically before she peeked around the computer to see who she was talking to; her cheer instantly vanished at the sight of his face. "...I-Is there something I can do for you?"

He gently slid his papers across the counter. "I'm the new transfer student. Fudo Yusei. I brought my paperwork."

The woman took the papers from him with an anxious glance at his mark and looked back to her computer. "It looks like your homeroom number is C-1. If you you get to class before eight o'clock, just wait outside the door for the teacher to let you in. I-If you're late, no big deal- just go on in. There's a bin of maps over there." She gestured to a metal container with a nervous finger.

"Thank you very much." He bowed politely, allowing the woman's attitude to roll off his back. No need to ruin his mood so early over something that would no doubt persist all day. Still, he was thankful; the school had such an insane layout, a map was a godsend. He felt a flash of disbelief when Yusei saw that he had ten minutes to go exactly on the other far side of school and up the stairs to his classroom. He was by no means lazy, but walking back and forth across the school was a little tedious when it was because of poor floor planning.

"I'm Fudo Yusei. Pleased to meet you." He introduced himself to a crowd of mixed reactions. None of them were happy, much to his dismay. Most looked openly terrified once they finally registered the hard yellow trackers marking his face as a criminal's, some wore the openly horrified fascination one reserved for deadly vehicular collisions, and a small handful of others looked aggressive and challenging. Hopefully they could keep from picking fights on his first day in a ridiculous effort to fortify their place as the school's tough guy or something.

Yusei wouldn't pick any fights, couldn't afford to pick any fights, but he refused to hold back if someone pushes him far enough that he has to resort to physical violence.

"Let's see." The teacher said, voice a little strained and matching the equally tense atmosphere of the students. He wasn't watching her eyes, but judging how each student would tense and make pleading faces at timed intervals, he would guess she was picking out a desk for him and the nearby students were begging her not to pick a seat close to them.

And if being treated like a rabid and dangerous animal wasn't both ridiculous and degrading, he didn't know what was. Yusei reminded himself not to let it bother him. He normally wasn't so conscious about others' opinions.

"How about next to Muto-kun?" The teacher motioned to a small boy with tri-colored hair. The kid visibly swallowed; Yusei supposed his face must have grown intimidating in the past few months. His classmates confirmed as much with their poorly hidden gossipping. He could even spot a brown haired girl _glaring_ at him from the corner of his eye.

That being said, he didn't have any protests and the seat itself was out of the way. Wordlessly, he sat down after a short walk to his desk that felt like some kind of horrific death march. Even before he had been visibly branded a Satellite criminal, Yusei knew from experience that his stony silence and stoic face intimidated some people. He didn't even have a particularly bad or unkind attitude- he was just very quiet, reserved, and wasn't one to smile much. He didn't need a mirror to know his expression must have hardened considerably from his seven months long stint in prison, and that coupled with the brand on his face carrying all it's prejudices with it probably made for a terrifying image of a cutthroat criminal. Especially to city kids he couldn't bring himself to think of as anything but utterly pampered on the backs of his and his friends' hard work.

_ "Did you see his face?"_

_"Scary…"_

_ "My friend told me he killed someone. He set them on fire."_

_"What? Someone just texted me that it was five and with an ATM!"_

_ "Dude, I saw him on a motorcycle! It's illegal for kids our age to drive!"_

_"He really is a delinquent."_

_ "Maan, why'd he_ _have to come here?"_

_ 'I wonder that too.'_ Yusei thought wryly over the cacophony of whispers. It was the third class of the day and they still hadn't stopped. Wouldn't they have run out of things to say by now…?

From across the room he could see the teacher trying valiantly and failing spectacularly to keep some form of their attention onto her mathematics lesson displayed on the board. He was curious why she wouldn't just call the class out. Yusei wasn't one to particularly care about what strangers thought of him, but the persistent and obvious gossiping was rude and obnoxious, especially to the teacher. Wouldn't that warrant her to say something, if not for him, than for her?

Thankfully after this class was a lunch and a short recess. There were five classes a day and each were ninety minutes long. The first set of five were on one day and a second set of five on the next, and then the first set back again on the next day. It made for a rotating schedule that totaled to ten classes per semester; nine of them were required classes and one was an elective of your choice. Yusei chose HVAC because it was the closest this school had to genuine mechanical engineering. At least the class would be easy, and he certainly needed the good grades, but the accompanying tedium soured the joy he didn't even feel for the lack of any interesting challenge.

But now this third class was drawing to a fruitless close and a cross between lunch and a study period would start. Well, it was called a "study period", but the kids didn't have to actually study. They were apparently given free reign so long as they did something with themselves. Most of the guys were planning to go play basketball while it seemed the girls preferred to watch while they ate and played around with their phones. At least, that's what he could deduce from the scattered and rare exchanges that had nothing to do with his apparently bloodthirsty nature.

The teacher gathered her things and filed out of the room with an expression so spectacularly annoyed Yusei had to wonder again why she didn't just call the class out. For some reason the teachers in Domino City were more reluctant to do so than Satellite teachers and he figured it was probably because it was a matter of detached professionalism. Teachers here taught because it was their job, while teachers in Satellite taught because they wanted to. That's what made sense to him, anyways.

For lunch Yusei had packed a small and modest meal because he had never been a big eater. No one in Satellite could really afford to be. Not that they were outright starving, just that they never had quite enough either. They were dropped monthly care packages of food, utilities, and sometimes cigarettes at distribution centers and what you were given is what you got. There were no grocery stores or restaurants or fast food joints if you and your family were still hungry. It was why cigarettes and food were the real currency of Satellite. In that way, Satellite and prison were very much alike.

He patiently waited for the kids to file out first because he suspected suddenly rising to leave would startle his already terrified classmates. Eventually it came to a point where only he and Muto were left after the latter shyly refused an offer to play with the excuse that any team that picked him always seemed to lose. While that may have been true, it seemed the boy was more interested in the strange game he was playing anyways. He didn't even notice Yusei was looking at him for an extended period of time; an impressive feat when the rest of the class looked like a deer in headlights whenever he so much as turned his head in their general direction. The game must have been fun.

He had just left the classroom when he felt a violent shove on his left shoulder. A quick glance to the side revealed a sour-looking blonde and a sneering brunette, both of whom sent challenging looks at him.

Yusei felt a mixture of bemusement and disbelief; it was silly that people were already picking fights with him for no real reason other than because he was branded. Those two were very lucky he was more collected than the hardened criminals from Satellite Correctional, otherwise they'd find themselves with a mouth full of broken teeth. Yusei knew they weren't worth the trouble and had intended to leave without rising to the bait, but it didn't escape his notice that something inside the classroom held their interest. After just a minute his keen ears picked up muffled yelling from a high voice. With a sinking feeling, he turned back and re-entered the classroom.


	2. Illegal Cats (IDK I suck at chap titles)

**So here is that fabled chapter 2!**

**Thanks to anon-kun Jezell and Demons of the arch angel for the reviews! To answer, Demons-kun, Judai being older than Yusei was always an amusing little handcanon for me, because Yusei is outwardly more mature/serious than Judai. I plan for Judai to hopefully prove himself to be more mature and experienced than Yusei, ****despite his deceptively childish persona. And yes! The brunette girl was totally Anzu lol! I got some PMs from a couple people, and you're the only person to catch that!**

**But to make this clear to everyone, this fic will have a slow build. I want these two to take their time before we get to the sex, lol. That being said, there will be bro-fluff between them this in the meantime!**

* * *

It would seem bullies were a universal presence, even in the supposedly utopian Domino City. Few things could set Yusei off as fast as bullying and certain people were quick to learn that. As he snatched the odd golden box out of the shorter bully's hands, he hoped they would learn just as quickly.

"The hell-?!" The blonde sputtered when he felt the box suddenly leave his hands. He was lounging with a typical devil-may-care attitude and loose limbs, so it was easy to take. All eyes were on Yusei now, two angry sets and a round purple pair looking rather surprised.

The taller brunette growled. "Fudo? Here to pick a fight?"

His friend sneered. "'Bout time. I was almost worried he was all talk."

Yusei resisted the uncharacteristically immature urge to dignify the blonde's goading with the fact that he had barely spoken a word all day. It was the kids' neverending gossiping that made him out to be some kind of deranged psychopath. "You should go." He said calmly, smothering a flash of annoyance.

"Why? What're you gonna do about it?"

Nothing, so long as those two didn't strike at him first. But Yusei knew a couple of hot-heads when he saw them and they weren't likely to back down without a fight.

"What? Got nothin'? Figures, coming from Satellite trash! You're just as stupid as Yugi and his weird box!"

"If it's so stupid then why don't you guys just leave him alone?!" A voice, sharp and feminine, called from the door behind Yusei. This time, all eyes were on a pretty brunette that Yusei recognized as the one that glared at him earlier. Her blue eyes were sharpened into a surprisingly fearsome glare that quickly zeroed on Yusei's hand. "Give Yugi his box back, Fudo!" She marched up to him with all the intimidation her five-feet and four-inches could muster.

So she thought he was one of the bullies too…? He didn't even bother trying to correct her and handed the box back to Yugi, who hadn't yet taken off that expression of dumb shock. That slowness was definitely something Yusei had seen before; people who weren't used to others caring enough to help them from trouble sometimes needed extra time to process when help finally came. The mechanic supposed Muto had been bullied for a long time.

One of the bullies scowled. "Nosy woman." He was interrupted from whatever he was going to say next when his shoulder was clasped by the blonde, who forcibly turned his friend around.

"Whatever, man." He said sourly as he directed the brunette with him. "This stupid shit ain't worth it."

There was barely a pregnant pause after they left before the girl turned her optical daggers back at Yusei. "And what about you?! Barely your first day and you're already picking on someo-!"

Yusei himself was content to just silently let her rant false accusations and leave when she finally finished, but a small voice cut in, sounding almost desperate. "Anzu, no!"

"Huh?" She turned questioningly to the small boy, who had moved a little in front of Yusei like his tiny body could actually protect someone that had at least nine inches on him.

"F-Fudo-san helped me… He got the box back from Jonouchi-kun." Muto sent a small and shy but grateful smile over his shoulder and the mechanic was struck with the odd thought that he was the first to truly smile at him besides Judai. Judai probably shouldn't even count, because he was… odd.

"O-oh… Oh!" There was a delayed pause before the implications of Muto's words struck a mental chord in Anzu, who instantly bowed apologetically. "I'm so sorry! I opened the door and saw you with Yugi's box so I had assumed…"

Yusei held out a hand. "It's fine." He said quickly. As much as it soothed his slightly bruised patience for someone to finally realize he didn't prowl around at night for orphans and puppy blood, it had always embarrassed him a little to be thanked or apologized to so vehemently.

She looked a little reluctant, but thankfully let it be. "Well, I'm Mazaki Anzu. Thanks for helping Yugi."

"Oh, right! I'm Muto Yugi." Muto introduced himself and beamed, purple eyes bright and shining. "But… wow, thank you Fudo-san!" Muto beamed and Yusei began to feel incredibly self-conscious, fighting down a light blush at so much thanks and praise and smiles that he never was used to in the first place and had forgotten how to deal with. "And thank you Anzu! One word from you and they actually ran away!"

_'Probably because they aren't the type to hit girls._' Yusei mused, familiar with the difference between a couple of punk kids and real, dangerous criminals.

Mazaki sighed. "You don't need to thank me. It just really bothers me to see nice guys like you get pushed around." She huffed and Yusei saw another small rant coming on. "Honestly, almost all the guys in our class are the worst! Just the other day they actually invited the girls to play and I immediately suspected something was up..."

Yusei wondered if he should just grab his lunch and slip out now that his business was done here. Where had he set it down again…? Right, on that desk over there.

"Oh… a-are you going Fudo-san?" Muto's voice and openly disappointed face surprised him as he made for the door with his lunch in tow.

"Well-" he started, honestly not sure what to say now. The boy was friendly, but Yusei thought he would have wanted to have lunch with his friend.

Maybe Muto understood what he was thinking or maybe it was just in his nature to be so open, because he extended a shy invitation to eat with him and Mazaki. The mechanic didn't know anywhere private he could go yet and the two here were probably the only ones in school who wouldn't either stare or try to pick a fight. He quietly moved a chair to the side of the short teen's desk, as Mizaki was sitting across from Muto, who was sitting in his normal seat.

"So," Mazaki started as Yusei settled in. "what's in that box anyways?"

The shorter teen visibly perked. "Well, I guess I can show you two. But promise me you'll keep it a secret!"

"Sure." The brunette smiled and Yusei quietly nodded. It wasn't like he had anyone to tell besides Judai, and Judai is probably one of the nicest people he's ever met.

At their agreement, Muto was more than happy to show off his treasure. The lid came off to reveal an assortment of shining golden pieces of various shapes and sizes.

She gasped and examined a piece. "They glitter like gold… Yugi, they're so pretty! But they're disconnected and have some pretty weird shapes. Are they parts to something?"

Yusei was initially hesitant to take a piece from the pile because refraining from touching nice things that didn't belong to him was a hard lesson learned a long time ago. After a minute he caved in the face of Muto's encouraging smile and gingerly picked one up to examine it. They didn't feel like decorative plastic; it would seem the pieces were all solid gold. Come to think of it, the box itself looked like it was made of gold too. He frowned and his brow creased a little. It was dangerous to take something so valuable to school. If those kids realized just how valuable the trinkets were Yusei doubted Muto would have it for much longer. He opened his mouth to say as much when the boy started up again.

"It's a puzzle!" He declared eagerly, ecstatic from being able to share his treasure and from Misaki's enthusiasm. "I've never completed it and there aren't any pictures of the finished product, so I don't know what it's supposed to be. There's a riddle for it too: "You have seen it, but it can't be seen."'

"I live in a game shop." Muto explained to Yusei. "There's all sorts of rare and unusual and exotic games for sale there. This one was just sitting in the corner and gathering dust when I found it. Now I just like to think of it as a potential memento of grandpa."

A horrified look crossed Mazaki's visage while the short teen was bent over his puzzle box, fiddling around with the pieces. Her face grew sad for a second before Muto looked back up and she quickly strained to smile again.

So Muto's grandfather is dead? Hopefully it was something peaceful and natural instead of sickness or worse. Yusei didn't have any biological family that he could speak of and never knew who his parents were, but he did have a surrogate family in his friends back in Satellite. He hoped they were okay without him; he was the one who really looked out for everyone and took care of problems. He prayed no one was taking advantage of his absence to mess with his friends.

He was pulled out his darker train of thought when he noticed the other two staring at him with twin looks of amusement. "...What?" He asked, embarrassed at being caught spacing out like an airhead.

"Well… you'll keep it secret, right Fudo-san?" Muto asked, red-faced and bashful.

Yusei's brow furrowed. Did he still not trust him to keep his puzzle a secret? "I thought I already said yes?"

Misaki laughed. "No, you must have missed the entire conversation."

"O-Oh, well that's okay!" The shortest teen said quickly.

"It's written on Yugi's box that anyone who solves it will have a wish granted." The brunette explained with a mischievous smile.

"You didn't have to tell him, Anzu!"

"But it _is_ a really nice thought!"

After his own wishes blew up in his face and cost him months of his life, Yusei himself was a little more cautious when it came to wishes. They really could grant someone a lot of hope for the future, but that only made it more painful when they shattered. It was important to have a sense of realism, but he wasn't about to ever discourage anyone. "It is." He said simply. "But I won't tell if you don't want me to."

That seemed to assuage Muto's frazzled nerves as he sighed in visible relief. He glanced worriedly at his friend. "Anzu…"

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone else. You can trust me." She winked. "So what's your wish when you solve it?"

Muto grinned. "That's a secret!"

The rest of their lunch period and accompanying recess were spent in peaceful conversation. Yusei himself was mostly quiet and content to listen to other two chatter, pitching in the occasional comment. It was nice- this was nice. It had been a while since he was able to enjoy eating with pleasant company and listen to meaningless, amiable chatter. He had missed it.

All too soon, lunch was over and the kids were starting to trickle back in… and immediately began whispering at the sight of him sitting with the runt of the class and the- "Class Rep"? Whatever that was, they must have been referring to Mazaki. Resisting the urge to shake his head, he put away the chair he borrowed to sit on and returned to his desk. The rest of the day rolled by until the final bell for the school day rang. He checked the chart for cleaning duty on his way out and seeing his name wasn't on for today, he quickly headed for his bike. As much as he wanted to keep riding it to school he had a sinking feeling it would be in danger of vandalism now that most of the student body knew it was his. He lived close enough to school anyways, so walking wouldn't be a problem.

On his way out, he spotted Muto with a downright massive student and the small teen was looking very uncomfortable. But by the time he reached the two the conversation had apparently finished. "Muto-san."

Said boy jumped at the sound of his name. "O-oh, Fudo-san!" He smiled.

Yusei looked at him for a while, just checking if he was okay. The kid looked fine but… Well, was it really any of his business?

"U-um…"

Ah, he was staring. "Nothing." It looked like everything was okay and it wasn't really his place to nose around in Muto's affairs if there wasn't an apparent problem. He parked his bike to the left of the entrance, opposite of where Muto was going. He inclined his head as goodbye.

"A-ah, Fudo-san!"

Yusei stopped at the sound of his voice and turned questioningly.

"See you tomorrow?" He asked, shyly.

The mechanic had a feeling something was happening here, but he couldn't quite figure it out. Instead of standing around and trying to puzzle out abstract social developments, he just did what felt like the right thing to do. He nodded. "Yeah."

He rode home with an oddly light feeling in his chest. The last time he felt that was a long time ago, with his family back in Satellite, surrounded by laughter and familiarity. Maybe that abstract social development was making his first friend in Domino City.

He arrived to his and Judai's shared apartment to the odd sight of his roommate talking to himself. As a quiet person Yusei didn't do that sort of thing, but plenty of his friends did so it wasn't the act itself that was strange. What was strange was that when people talked to themselves, it was usually quiet mumbling as they followed and developed their train of thought aloud. When Judai talked to himself, it was loud and energized- almost like a genuine conversation with someone the mechanic couldn't see. "Judai-san?" He furrowed his brow, trying to puzzle out the odd sight. Once their living arrangements had been made official, Judai insisted that his new "roomie" call him by his first name. Since they were going to be seeing a lot of each other they might as well forgo the formality reserved for strangers and casual acquaintances.

The brunette jumped a little. "Hey, Yusei! I didn't hear you come in. How was school?"

"It was fine." It was a bit annoying at first, but Muto and Misaki helped assuage his frayed patience at the end.

He laughed. "Just fine? If it's just fine you're not doing it right! Live it up man- you only go to high school once!"

As silly as Judai's words were, his energy was infectious and Yusei couldn't repress a light smile in the face of so much unadulterated cheer. When he had first been told of Godwin's assigned living quarters in a different apartment he had immediately recoiled and insisted he'd find himself a place to live. Unfortunately, he underestimated just how expensive living in the city was and might have had to resort to living in one of the more hazardous districts if he hadn't met Judai. Yusei was eating lunch in one of the few places that didn't refuse him on sight and was searching through a public terminal to find a good place to live when a flash of red blurred into the booth across from him.

_"Hey there." The strange man grinned; the expression wasn't nervous or conniving. In fact, the only thing more bizarre than his sudden appearance was how natural his smile was._

_Thrown off, the newly released Yusei could only nod in baffled greeting. "Can I…?"_

_"Yes, in fact! And I think I can help you too." The stranger answered his question before he even really asked it. "I see from your terminal you're looking for a place to live, right?"_

_The teen immediately narrowed blue eyes and nodded cautiously. "I am."_

_The man across him didn't miss a beat even in the face of open suspicion. "Well, I'm sure you noticed it's pretty expensive here in the city so I'll make this quick for us. You see, I'm a dirt-poor college student starting his second year in NDU but doesn't have a place to stay anymore because his last roommates graduated. If you and I both need a decent place to stay but can't afford it, then why don't we become roommates and split the costs?" The man must have deduced Yusei's lack of funds by the trackers on his face. It was a practice reserved solely for Satellites, and everyone knew Satellites didn't have any money._

_But Yusei's suspicion wasn't assuaged in the slightest. One didn't last as long as he has by being trusting. "And how can I know it's safe to trust you?"_

_"Sheesh, you're a tough kid." Even more than the suspicious luck of a man with needs that matched his own just happening by, the mechanic couldn't believe how unyielding that cheerful smile was. "How do you know you can't?"_

_"Experience."_

_Finally, the smile was wiped off his face and Yusei couldn't explain the niggling feeling of regret. "Me too, believe it or not." And the teenager almost didn't if not for the look in the newcomer's eye. "And I hate to say it, but you're not in a position to play it safe. If you don't take a chance on me you'll have to risk the dangerous parts of Domino to afford a place. Or do you think some other guy will come along and offer to board with you, a branded criminal? Did you consider that I'm taking a risk too?"_

_No, actually. The stranger was so cheerful it hadn't crossed his mind that he knew he was taking a risk talking to a criminal and offering to board with him, especially when he didn't even know what specific crimes he committed. "You _are_ taking a pretty big risk, talking to a branded criminal like me. What makes you so sure I won't hurt you?" It was a bold question that would've sent the average Domino citizen immediately backtracking, but Judai held true and plucky when any other guy would've reconsidered. Yusei instinctively knew that was the norm for the stranger in red._

_"Yup, but I'm sorta like you right now. I don't have much of a choice. I mean, I guess I could go find a non-criminal roommate, but I like to think I'm a good judge of character." There was something odd about the way he said that, something meaningful that compelled Yusei to believe him. Made him want to believe. "You don't have the face of a bad guy." And Judai smiled at him, again. The odd thought just occurred to Yusei that before him was the first person in Domino to genuinely smile at him. Not the plastic, practiced smiles of Godwin or the nervous smiles of Domino citizens eager to get away from him, but the simple human expression of affability._

_He might admit privately that he was pretty much sold at that point._

"He-llo? Yusei?"

He had been caught buried in his thoughts again- why did that keep happening today? "I'm sorry, did you say something?"

"Sheesh, you always look serious, but you're actually kind of a space case, aren't you?" Judai laughed.

He kind of was. Yusei didn't talk much, but that was just another way of saying he preoccupied himself with his mind rather than his mouth. He didn't dignify his roommate with an answer.

"I was asking if you still wanted that duel today. I got some time if you don't have any _homework_." The way Judai said the word "homework" was like the very concept was a particularly cute joke. Well, he definitely had homework, some of which were for subjects he found himself to be sorely behind in, but the alternating schedule gave him a generous amount of time to do it- two days.

Though that didn't mean he was one to lie unnecessarily. "I do, but I have today and tomorrow to do it."

Judai whistled. "_Procrastinating?_ Yusei, I almost believed you didn't have it in you."

"Just go get your deck." He said in amusement while his roommate hopped rather than stood up and charged for his cards.

"I hope you're ready to get your butt kicked!" Judai laughed from his room.

Yusei almost couldn't believe it; his butt got kicked into the mud, dunked in a vat of ice water, and was then squeezed and wrung out to dry. He wasn't beaten so soundly, but his opponent turned the tables from seemingly out of nowhere so suddenly that he was left trying to piece together the last few seconds of _"What just happened?"_

"Gotcha!" The brunette winked and made an odd gesture with his hand. "That was pretty fun. You're a great duelist, Yusei- you almost had me there!"

He really did. The Satellite was so sure he had Judai on the ropes. It had been a while and a lot of card games since he lost to anyone. "You also, Judai-san. Your Elemental Heroes and fusion strategies were impressive." The deck was seemingly unreliable just by the concept, but it sacrificed reliable balance for versatility and strong effects. With just a single draw Judai could turn the tide of an entire duel.

"Thanks, but your Syncro summons were nothin' to sneeze at either!" Yusei accepted the comment as graciously as he could, even if it was painful to think that his deck was currently so incomplete.

_Meow._

Judai froze. "Ah… Haha."

The high schooler crossed his arms. "Judai-san, what was that noise?"

"Did I ever mention we have a third roommate?"

"_No._"

The brunette opened the sliding door to his room and kneeled. Just as Yusei feared, a skinny brown furball was buried in the crook of his arm when he turned around. There was a long silence.

"No."

"But-"

"_W__hy_ did you bring your cat?" Pets were very much against the rules, according to their landlady, and they could be kicked out if it were discovered. Of all the things the Satellite pictured himself getting kicked out of the apartment for, this was certainly not one of them.

"He's not mine, but he had nowhere else to go!" Judai pleaded, brown eyes big and imploring.

Yusei sighed. "Judai-san, you know we can't keep it. Why didn't you take it to an adoption center? It would be taken care of there. We can't afford to get kicked out over a cat."

"He was left in a cardboard box! In the cold!" The harsh resentment in the normally sunny and amiable voice frankly surprised the mechanic. "Look at him- he's clearly starving!"

He looked at the bedraggled and ratty little thing, nosing into Judai's thin arms, and couldn't deny the small pull in his chest. Small, dirty, and unwanted. Those concepts were not unfamiliar to a Satellite. "...Do you really want to risk our home for him?"

"Yes." His roommate looked him straight in the eye. It figured; the college student was definitely not the type to change his mind once he set his heart on something. His bold, risk-taking nature was the whole reason they were even rooming together.

"...Alright." Yusei sighed, uncrossing his arms. It was always in his nature to try and be more reasonable and responsible than his age, but he liked to think he wasn't heartless.

"Yes! Yusei, you're _awesome!_" The new cat owner quickly but carefully set his mangy feline down and before he knew it Judai was in the air and his vision was filled with brown hair and black fabric. His roommate was _hugging_ him.

Yusei was not at all accustomed to close physical contact. The last person to hug him was his matron from when he was still a little kid- even Rally, young as he is, was never one for touching and hugging. His arms hesitantly nudged at Judai's arms, gently communicating to him to please let go.

Not that his roommate was one to give up in the face of a lack of reciprocation, the memory of their first meeting once again striking most prominently in Yusei's mind, but he seemed to take pity on him and his discomfort just this once. Judai's arms, wiry and deceptive to how much surprising strength they possessed, released their captive. The brunette grinned at Yusei's mixed reaction of discomfort and embarrassment- it wasn't that he outright disliked physical proximity, just that he wasn't in any form accustomed to it. His eyes zeroed on Judai's cocky grin, like he thought kidnapping him from his comfort zone was a victory.

And his initial discomfort aside, maybe it was. It had been too long since anyone was so comfortable with him, since anyone saw him as human enough to hug.

The next day found him sitting with Muto again with Misaki nowhere to be seen.

"Sometimes she gets busy with her duties as class rep." He explained before a jaw-cracking yawn. "Ah, sorry! I stayed up late working on the puzzle."

He nodded, "How far did you get?"

"Ah-ha, not very far… It's hard."

"You'll get it."

Muto beamed and Yusei still hadn't gotten used to being smiled at by anyone but Judai. It was different when his roommate smiled at him, probably because Judai seemed the type to smile at everything. The rest of lunch passed in companionable silence, save for the occasional exchange. Unlike most people, Muto didn't seem to mind Yusei's quiet nature.

"Muto-san, do you know where the nearest restroom is?"

"Oh, once you're out the door go left and down the hall- it'll be to your right."

When Yusei returned, Muto had gone somewhere. He frowned; it wasn't at all Muto's kind and considerate nature to just up and leave with no explanation. The only thing he could think of was either he was called up by the school for something or a classmate pulled him away. He waited for a solid fifteen minutes before he got suspicious enough to go look for him. Yusei scribbled a quick note and left it on Muto's desk in case the gamer returned and confirmed he was just paranoid.

The mechanic was careful in his search to not get lost himself by deciding to look outside first and checking empty classrooms along the way outside. It was during his search in the schoolyard that he found his classmate in a bruised and crumpled heap in a shadowed niche. "Muto-san!" He said, checking over the small teen when the corner of his eye spotted a pile of limbs looking even worse. It was the blonde and his friend from the day before.

"Ah, F-Fudo-san…"

_"What happened here?"_ He demanded in a hard tone. If there wasn't such a pressing matter before him, he'd have been surprised to hear the harsh voice of an inmate. He was trying to leave some of that stuff behind in his effort to rebuild lives, but it looked like it wouldn't ever truly go away.

The boy visibly quailed at his tone and he knew he would have to take it down a level or five if he didn't want to scare him witless. "Listen… tell me who did this." He could ask 'why' while his foot was stuck firmly in the assailant's sternum. Somewhere along the past two days the kind face that made him think of Rally and all the oppressed of Satellite had become something of a substitute for his surrogate family. A surrogate for surrogates; Yusei wasn't sure if Muto would be offended or amused.

The object of his thoughts shook his tri-colored head. "N-No, don't worry about it Fudo-san."

_"You expect me to be okay with this?"_ Yusei wasn't one to raise his voice and his tone compensated this with severe inflections whenever he got angry.

"No! I just… I can handle this, okay?"

"You're right. The bruises on your face say you definitely can." Sarcasm was always another sign Yusei was upset. Yusei fixed Muto with a long, hard stare that the latter wouldn't meet and there was a very long time spent in stony silence. "...Fine." It was clear he wouldn't get an answer out of the kid any way he looked at it.

The kid sent him a grateful look and took the Satellite's offered hand. "Thank you..." He glanced at the pair not far from him. "What should we do with them?"

Yusei inspected them with an experienced eye and knowledgeable hands. "It looks like they'll be fine." He didn't feel any broken bones and, even more telling, the pair's breathing was even and unhindered. The blonde's eyes were rapidly moving from under his lids.

"A-Are you sure?"

"Positive." No matter how they treated Muto they were still just kids. Yusei wouldn't let anything seriously bad happen to them.

"I guess I should get home then..."

When they both agreed to go home, Yusei wasn't too surprised to note they both made a left outside the school gate. What surprised him is that they continued to make the same turns. Eventually, the short puzzle-lover questioned this. "Um, Fudo-san? Do you live in this direction?"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

They walked the rest of the way in silence, with Muto's face growing more and more a mixture of confusion and incredulity the more turns and the more sidewalks they mutually took. The two were nearing Yusei's shared apartment and he stopped in front of it.

"Fudo-san?" He questioned.

"This is my stop."

"What?! No way!" He jumped slightly at soft-spoken Muto's unexpected outburst and gave him a questioning look. The other blushed. "Sorry, it's just- it's so _nice_ and I live so close to you. My house is just two houses down… the one with the red roof." He pointed to his home; it was so close to Yusei's apartment that he could see it clearly even from where he was standing.

The flat he stayed in was medium-sized and gleaming with crystal glass and delicate landscaping, but besides a pretty garden and nice frosted windows it wasn't anything particularly glamorous. It was chosen because it had just a little more elbow room in terms of living space and it's location was close to both Neo Domino University and Domino Senior High. The latter is what made the place so expensive. Location was the largest determining factor for the cost of living in the city. Yusei suspected Muto pictured him to live in a seedy dump and he _would_ have if he had not met Judai.

"Huh." Yusei hummed, unsure how to respond beyond the small sound.

"...M-Maybe you could come see the game shop sometime?" Muto shyly suggested after another pregnant silence.

"Sure. Not today though- you need to get yourself treated first." It probably wouldn't be a good idea to burden Muto with a guest when he had injuries to treat and a body that needed rest.

He nodded. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then…" They parted ways after that, Muto heading two houses down to his game shop and Yusei into his shared apartment.

This time Yusei wasn't greeted to the sight of Judai chattering to himself. "Hey, you're back!" The brunette greeted, looking up from a paper he was bent over, furry cat curled against his thigh.

"Hello." The high-schooler slipped his shoes off and placed them neatly beside his roommate's haphazardly tossed shoes. "What are you doing there?"

"Just some physics homework." Judai cocked his head briefly and a thoughtful look crossed his eyes before he turned back around and swiftly wrote a complicated paragraph of numbers and symbols without even pausing. Yusei knew from his roommate's textbooks that he was smart, but this was _ridiculous_.

He wouldn't deny to himself that he felt a little self-conscious in the face of such dramatic intelligence. "...I'll leave you to that then." For all his matron tried, his education in Satellite was lackluster and informal at best and he was already struggling in most of his classes. If he could even read the complicated written word of the pages he would more likely than not find he still had no idea what they were talking about. It turned out that the writings in the city used a fancy combination of kanji and kana. A single sentence would be interchangeably sprinkled with letters from any of the three alphabets. Yusei only knew hiragana and katakana to a more limited extent and barely knew a handful of kanji, so he dreaded the day he would be given a written test.

When Godwin listed his first condition of doing well in school, Yusei couldn't have possibly imagined the sheer magnitude of challenge found even in the most minute details. He would ask Judai for advice, but his roommate had his own studies to deal with.

"Hm? What's wrong, Yusei?"

He'd been spacing out again. "It's nothing." He dismissed, suppressing a light flush at being caught repeatedly in his thoughts.

The other male looked slightly reluctant. "Well, you know that if I can ever help I'd be more than happy to, right?"

The admission surprised Yusei- an offer of support was not… He hadn't been offered unconditional support in a long time. Even before the correctional facility, when he'd been surrounded by his friends and family, he'd always been so independent that his friends knew better than to offer help that he wouldn't accept._ He_ protected his friends from the gangs and the thugs that wanted their food and medicine, and _he_ guided and supported them through their troubles. Yusei had always been the level-headed voice of reason and encouragement. When the time came that he was arrested and he the one who needed help it wasn't possible to receive any, so he once again took care of himself.

Despite his sunny and carefree attitude, Judai had proved himself astute and reliable and Yusei respected him for that. "Thank you, but I'd rather see if I can take care of it myself." He conceded, showing his appreciation by admitting there was a problem.

Judai seemed to have understood that because he grinned brightly. It was both strange and intimidating to have someone he'd barely met understand him so easily. He'd be lying if he, someone who always held his thoughts close, said it didn't unsettle him a bit. Yusei decided that if he reached the end of his second week of school and still couldn't catch up, he would ask his roommate for advice.

The next day Yusei was met with an… odd sight. He wasn't sure if there was any other word to describe his behemoth of a classmate rolling around in a pile of leaves and garbage like it was money.

"Money! Money! So much money…!"

He didn't think he needed any more proof that drugs were _bad_. At the of sight of the whispering and gossiping students, he wondered if no one was actually thinking of getting a teacher or something.

The morning got even weirder when he entered the classroom to the sight of the blonde bully, now bandaged and properly patched up, sitting at Muto's desk like it was the most natural thing to do. Judging by the ecstatic look on the gamer's face, they must have been getting along.

"Ah, good morning Fudo-san!" Muto greeted while his visitor squinted dark brown eyes at him.

"Good morning." Yusei replied to his neighbor while returning the blonde's gaze.

"Hey." The blonde started, lips pursed. "I stopped messing around with Yugi and I shouldn't have said that stuff to you, so." He said, looking a bit awkward and out of place. Yusei supposed this must be his way of apologizing and making amends, since he was probably too proud to say it straight out.

He inclined his head in acknowledgement, and the former bully looked relieved that it was over and done with so seamlessly. Muto beamed, happy to see everyone getting along even after such a rough first meeting. "Fudo-kun…" Muto apprehensively started whatever he was going to say with a more familiar honorific, probably worried Yusei might be offended. Truth be told, he didn't care at all what other people addressed him with. He himself was only the picture of politeness because he was raised to speak softly and carry a big stick.

"I'm fine with anything." He answered, and Muto was visibly pleased by the permission to start addressing him with more familiarity.

"Fudo-kun," He said, a little more exuberantly, "This is Jonouchi Katsuya-kun. Jonouchi-kun, this is Fudo Yusei-kun."

So that was his name. "Please treat me well." He said, as polite introduction.

"Yeah, same." Jonouchi said, with a casualness that reached levels of rude according to City etiquette. Satellite, while it was by no means uncivilized, definitely lacked the excessive sense of formality and propriety that plagued the city's every social interaction. In Satellite, Yusei was considered an oddball for his excessive politeness, whereas he was considered to be rude within Domino at times when he didn't know the proper way of doing or saying something. Jonouchi's casual attitude would fit in well with his home.

The pair settled into what would be a quickly established routine of the three and occasionally Masaki gathering around Muto's desk, chattering while Yusei quietly observed and pitched a comment or two while they waited for the first bell.


	3. Spoiled

**So here were are again for that chapter three! Thanks to Demons of the arch angel, Jezell, and FanficFemale for the reviews! And thanks to everyone that followed and favorited! You guys are just too awesome, especially the ones that have repeatedly left me their thoughts!**

**To answer, Demons-kun, yes, Anzu was glaring not only because she thought Yusei was going to be a bully, but because she thought he was gonna be a troublemaking punk in general. Also, the only reason Yusei gained friends so quickly is because of Yugi, and I'm being dead serious on that one. If it wasn't for him connecting them, Yusei, Anzu, Jonouchi, and Honda wouldn't have given each other the time of the day. I mean, think about it- they're all so different from one another. They'd have to leap the hurdles of their social prejudices against each other just to say pleasant "Hello"s, let alone be friends and make nice.**

**Also... about Yugi's grandpa... eh heh? Oops? XD I kind of just assumed people would understand that reference. One of the first jokes from the first chapter of the manga is Yugi accidentally misleading Anzu into assuming his grandpa passed away. Here, he did the same for Yusei lol. Which is why, when I wrote this chapter, I wrote it on the assumption that people would understand Yusei had that misunderstanding cleared up offscreen. So. Surprise!**

* * *

The next couple of days passed relatively peacefully, with their little group getting along unexpectedly well. Mazaki, who was a little bossy but was hard-working and looked out for everyone, Jonouchi, who was crass and impulsive but undeniably loyal, and Muto, who was trusting and naive but was one of the kindest people he'd ever met.

And today...

"Yugi, some new cards came in today!" He heard from the door as he followed his new friends into Muto's home, which was also a game shop.

"That's great, Jii-chan! I brought some friends."

"Oh?" Muto's grandfather was a kindly-looking old man and was on the shorter side for his age, much like his grandson. However, unlike Muto's wiry frame, Muto-ojiisan had a stocky and broad build with strong shoulders and hands. It reminded him a bit of the stouter characters in Satellite; Yusei wondered if he worked with his hands much when he was younger. Muto-ojiisan's round purple eyes took in the group of teens, wandering from face to face before they stopped on Yusei in the back.

"And who are your new friends, Yugi?" Muto-ojiisan asked, his throaty voice still light and kindly despite his unreadable eyes never leaving Yusei. He found himself regretting come here; all his presence would do today is upset Muto and his grandfather.

Muto paused for a very brief moment, but continued before it became too noticeable. However, from the corner of his vision, Yusei could see their entire group of friends glancing between him and Muto-ojiisan. "Jii-chan, this is Jonouchi Katsuya-kun and Fudo Yusei-kun."

"Please treat me well."

"Nice to meet ya."

"Ho?" The elder hummed, stroking his gray beard in thought as his eyes scrutinized Yusei. Then, just as Yusei figured Jonouchi was going to say something confrontational, the old man's visage changed completely. "Well then, welcome to my shop you two!" He chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound in the back of his throat, and Muto grew an ecstatic look on his face at what seemed to be his grandfather's approval. "I'm Muto Sugoroku, pleased to meet you. Good to see you again, Anzu-chan." He winked at Mazaki, who grunted back uncharacteristically rudely.

The old man took it in stride, like it was something of a routine, and Yusei figured there must have been a story behind that. Frankly, he was surprised Muto's grandfather would be so amicable with him; acceptance was typically a fantasy in Domino City for someone like him.

"What kind of cards came in Jii-chan?"

"Oh! Come to the counter and I'll show you!" With a vigor and energy that belied his age, he scuttled behind the counter and hauled a cardboard box onto the counter. He chuckled his deep and throaty laugh. "This card game is especially popular in America! It's called Duel Monsters!" He brandished two familiar cards and Yusei's heart stuttered just at the sight of his favorite game. The game had caught on well in Satellite, for those who could scrounge enough cards from the garbage tossed out by the city, but he had hardly seen so much as a card in Domino City.

"Right now it's still a bit niche, but there are already television tournaments and even some Japanese champions. I get the feeling it will catch on here in Japan within the year." He explained proudly, handing out cards to his curious classmates. "Yusei-kun, wouldn't you like to see one too?" He invited with a kindly crease in his eye, once he noticed Yusei lingering in the back.

Taken aback by the open welcome, he mutely took one to look at. As expected, it was a card he's never seen before and he privately relished the happiness seeing new cards always gave him. "Oh, thank you." He said belatedly and with a quietness commonly attached to his words. The elder seemed amused by something and turned his attention back to their group as a whole.

"Each card has a picture and various descriptions that read how the card works. There are thousands of different cards, each with their own strengths and weaknesses." He explained.

Mazaki held two gingerly. "The illustrations are amazingly detailed- but some of them look kind of grotesque..." She grimaced a little at a particularly violent-looking card with a screaming woman.

"How do you play with them?" Jonouchi asked curiously, quickly rifling through them and glancing at two or three at once. He was an energetic kind of guy, always doing things at a fast, reckless pace.

Yusei couldn't really let that slide. "Be more careful with them." He admonished softly.

"Er- right. Sorry gramps." He sheepishly slowed down his rummaging and apologized to the owner.

Muto started to explain the rules, well, just the basics of attacking and defending with monsters. There was a lot more to Duel Monsters than that. Yusei couldn't ever resist talking about his favorite game whenever the topic came up. "There are also spell and trap cards for more complex strategies." He added.

"Oh, do you play too Fudo-kun?" Muto asked, round eyes delighted.

"Yeah."

Muto's grandfather seemed pleased by their genuine interest and added more information. "Since there are so many different cards, some are rarer than others. There are cards so rare they're worth more than a house!"

Jonouchi seemed especially baffled by this. "No way! Just for one little card?"

"Actually, Jii-chan has a pretty rare one right here in the shop." Muto said with a big and knowing smile. "Can you show them?"

The old man snickered with obvious pride, looking mischievously gleeful to show off. Well, Yusei couldn't deny anyone the right to be proud of their cards. "Well, since you asked. I suppose I could." He took out a small locked box from underneath the counter and inserted a key that he fished from out of his pocket. "Here it is, the Blue Eyes White Dragon!" He brandished the beautiful card proudly.

"Wow, it's so pretty, but it's also kind of solemn-looking too..." Mazaki leaned in admiringly. Yusei was surprised that he didn't notice, but she was right. The dragon was beautiful and majestic, but there was also a note of quiet solemnity and solitude in it's eye. That's the feeling he got anyways. From the first card he saw, Yusei always had a strange connection to the monsters in the cards, getting inexplicable, niggling sensations about them that others didn't. Most of his friends chalked it up to their unexpectedly spacey friend and his imagination, but Yusei himself never could. To him, the cards were _alive._

"Hey, let's play some tomorrow you two!" Jonouchi grinned, brought on board and looking excited to try the game for himself. He and Muto immediately clamored around the desk to pick out cards to buy, but Yusei didn't want to spend much money this early in his stay at Domino City. There was a metallic ring from behind to signal a new customer entering the shop.

"Welcome!" Muto-ojiisan greeted the tall youth dressed in a crisp white suit. Yusei immediately felt his stomach clench and his teeth rattle at the sight. His experiences with Godwin taught him to pick up the tells of a practiced smile and the plastic air of polite interest. Despite the young face, the smiling newcomer was an uncanny replica of that polished demeanor hiding a ruthless hound his handler liked to wear. "So this is where you live, Muto-san?" He said with a thin smile that stretched his face like stiff dough left to dry out until it was unusable.

Muto, friendly and oblivious as always, didn't notice a thing off with him. "Oh, you're Kaiba-kun, from my class!" What? Yusei didn't remember a single face that looked anything like Kaiba's, and he would, when it so starkly reminded him of the one person he detested the most from this city. He felt a cold chill and found ice blue eyes staring at him like they were two holes punched into a serene landscape to reveal the true backdrop, a frosty wasteland.

"Oh, I'm sorry." The ritzy boy read the mental script he was following and apologized with sincerity to match. "It's only that I've never... well." He said, awkwardly touching his face in a mechanical mimicry of genuine fluster. "This is the first time I've seen such a nice branded."

Before Yusei could say anything in return, Jonouchi cut in irritably. "Don't call 'im that."

"His name's Fudo Yusei." Mazaki frowned, joining the blonde with gusto. Even Muto looked disapproving of Kaiba.

"Oh, you're right. I'm truly sorry, I must confess I'm more than a little sheltered. I can say insensitive things sometimes." Kaiba sensed his misstep and backtracked with the grace of a true conversationalist, sprinkling superficial self-deprecation in a pantomime of true humility.

It worked like a charm. His trio of classmates bought it with understanding looks. "Well, I can't say we weren't the same way, so I can get where you're coming from." Mazaki admitted with an apologetic look to Yusei, who held up hand in a forgiving gesture to her.

"Just don't do it again." Jonouchi grunted.

"Of course." Kaiba smiled at Yusei and he felt a cold, biting wind. "We should introduce each other properly, Fudo-kun. I'm Kaiba Seto."

"Fudo Yusei." He said politely, hiding his distaste with the thought that he couldn't afford catty feuds. Kaiba hasn't done anything anyone else hasn't done here, and so long as he doesn't do anything against him or his friends Yusei can get along just fine. Though, he still couldn't think of any moment in which he saw Kaiba in his class.

"So you're playing Duel Monsters?" Kaiba seamlessly redirected conversation away from his blunder and erased the awkward atmosphere with his flawless composure.

Muto perked up like he tended to do whenever a game was in the discussion. "Yeah, do you play it too, Kaiba-kun? Hey, maybe we should all play together!"

"Me? With you...?" That seemed to throw Kaiba for a loop and he stared at Muto like he didn't quite know what he was seeing. Then his face rearranged itself into it's carefully composed order and the brief pause only lasted for a second. "Well, wait a second. I don't know if you guys are even good enough to play against me. Let me see your cards." And just like that, Yusei's opinion dropped a little lower. It was fine to have confidence, but regardless if Kaiba was truly that skilled he shouldn't dismiss other players.

Kaiba snorted, and the first crack in his carefully crafted mask of polite nobility appeared. "Heh, no way. You're a total beginner; you wouldn't even last a minute against me. I'm the reigning champion from the national Duel Monsters tournament and I've collected nothing but the strongest cards for years."

"Strong cards aren't the only technique to winning, nor are they all that matter in the game." Yusei cut in, his unexpected interjection causing his friends to look at him in surprise. He wasn't one to argue, so it was understandable.

The reigning champion sent him a condescending look, "Come back and tell me that when you've won a championship or two. I won't waste my time on anyone less." Kaiba smoothly ignored Jonouchi's frothing and Muto's struggle to hold the blonde back with grace and poise that spoke years of experience with pissing people off and getting away with it.

Visibly bored with them at this point, the brunette went to the counter to conduct business. "Hey Ojii-san, you sell and buy cards here, right?" Kaiba asked, using the polite form of address for Muto-ojiisan, though Yusei could tell it was mocking.

The elder Muto struck him as sharp enough to notice, but was too patient to let it or Kaiba's rude behavior bother him. "Yes, of course." He said with a genteel smile. It was at that moment Kaiba's eyes had wandered to the valuable card on the counter. For a moment, the brunette went rock still and time seemed to freeze.

"O-Ojii-san...! How... this card! What's it-? Let me see it!" The youth's composure suddenly shattered completely and fragments of sentences gracelessly tumbled out of his previously smooth and charismatic mouth. His attempt to grab at the card was foiled when a wrinkled hand snatched it off the counter with surprising speed.

"Well, I suppose you can just look." Muto-ojiisan said with a mischievous twinkle in his round eyes. He passed it to Kaiba over the counter, who took it with shaking hands. There was a long and uncomfortable pause in which the youth in white just bowed his head and stared at it, leaving everyone visibly wondering as to what he was thinking and leaving Yusei more than a little worried.

"How much?" Kaiba said, the first thing he said for a solid two minutes.

A throaty laugh and a winkled hand plucked the card out of his hands, much to Kaiba's visible annoyance. "I'm afraid this one is not for sale."

In response, a disconcertingly determined look hardened his face. "Fine. I'll trade you this entire briefcase for that single card." The steel briefcase he had been carrying with him was slammed onto the counter with the force of purpose and the contents were revealed to be crammed from corner to corner with cards, some of which Yusei could visibly see were quite nice.

"That's unbelievable!"

"His trunk is stuffed with cards!"

His classmates baulked at the outrageous offer.

A deep throaty laugh. "Nah."

"And he refused him?!"

"That's even more unbelievable!"

They baulked even more at Muto-ojiisan's outrageous refusal.

Kaiba grit his teeth irritably. "Why not?"

The old man smiled, serene and patient. "You seem to want this card a lot, Kaiba-kun." Yusei noticed the less personal use of Kaiba's last name versus the first names he addresses Muto's friends with. "But the reason this card isn't for sale is because it was a gift from a very dear friend of mine in America. In short, this card is as valuable to me as my dearest old friend. It's a treasure worth more than any card in the world because of my sentiment for it. Valuing every last card is the true strength of this game."

Judai, Muto-ojiisan, and Muto the teenager. Yusei believed he had the privilege of meeting the three most wonderful people in Domino City and he wouldn't hear a word otherwise. Muto was unbelievably giving and kind, Muto-ojiisan was unbelievably patient and wise underneath his mischief, and Judai was an unbelievable mixture of the both. His lips curled into a conservative smile in approval of Muto-ojiisan's words.

Kaiba, for his part, sucked in a breath through his teeth, producing a sharp, hissing sound reminiscent of a snake. "Fine. I get it." He stuffed a fist into his pocket and trudged out the door. The teen struck Yusei as the type to get irritable when he didn't get his way.

"That was great!" Jonouchi cackled.

Muto beamed admiringly of his grandfather. "Jii-chan doesn't need rare cards to have fun! Or win!"

The elder Muto chuckled.

They stayed at the shop for another two hours, during which Yusei and Muto helped Jonouchi pick out cards and took turns drilling both him and Mazaki on how the game worked. While she didn't seem too interested in playing the game, she liked hearing about the rules and looking at the illustrations.

* * *

The next day saw the three of them sitting around a table and playing match after match. Yusei did his best to hold back and even refrained from synchro summoning, but he retained an uncontested winning streak against the both of them, which was strange because he thought for sure Muto would be a hard opponent. That being said, Muto himself had an unrelenting winning streak against Jonouchi.

"Crap! I lost _again!_" Yusei had to give the blonde credit for his sheer tenacity, a losing streak to two friends would usually deter anyone from a game, but Jonouchi persistently challenged them for match after match. He was getting the hang of the rules and the jargon with every duel, though; Yusei could visibly see his progress from every match played and every match watched. Muto got better and better against him at an even more impressive rate.

Their games were attracting attention from their classmates, who crowded behind Muto and Jonouchi and made a wide berth from his side. The result was an amusing cluster of kids nudging and elbowing each other instead of just moving aside because it meant getting closer to him. It used to bother him, but now he was jaded enough to see the humor in it. Their free period would be ending soon though.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a familiar chill.

"Yugi-kun." A polite and smooth and familiar voice cut in.

"Oh, Kaiba-kun!" Muto turned away from his blonde friend, who was busy being heckled by their other classmates for losing so much, and smiled in greeting to the approaching teen. Kaiba looked ill-fit in their school uniform; he was the kind of personality that only looked suited in something flashy and expensive.

His face stretched uncomfortably again, in that familiar and uncanny pantomime of a genuine smile. "Your game was fun to watch." It was fake. It was so obviously fake.

And Muto lapped it up with a sweet and delighted smile.

"But... if you don't mind me asking, could I please see that dragon card again? Do you have it?"

Yusei wasn't one to boss his friends around, but just as he was about to warn his friend to be careful another voice cut into the general din of their classroom. "Fudo-kun, could you please come to the front?" Their teacher called from across the room and with the worst timing possible.

"Listen, Muto-san-"

"The teacher called you, _Yusei-kun_." Kaiba smiled with slitted eyes and too much teeth and all the comfort and warmth of an arctic storm. The friendly address felt like pinpricks of frost crawling on his back, a weapon of discomfort and insult with it's proximity.

"Go ahead Fudo-kun." The small gamer smiled at Yusei too, but it was nothing like Kaiba's cold and robotic mockery of human expression.

His hands were tied; he didn't want to make a scene. "Be careful." He said and got up like he was leaving his friend to a proverbial den of lions. He didn't trust the cold-eyed teen's intentions.

The rest of the class had gone mostly quiet, save for the hushed whispering. Their teacher held the door into the hallway for some privacy. There was a slight pause as she seemed to be deciding what to say with a deliberating look. "Fudo-kun," She started, brown- no, honey eyes boring into him with a candidness he never recalled her possessing. "It's come to my concern that you might be struggling in my class."

Yusei was glad she jumped straight to the point. "I am." He said, not bothering to beat around the bush.

She seemed surprised at this. "Well, this is only the first week of class so I won't dally on the subject more than to warn you that if you're struggling this early in, than I advise getting a tutor or some help as soon as possible. Allow yourself to fall behind and it'll be a nightmare to catch back up, especially the way you are now, and the longer you wait the harder it'll get."

"Yes, thank you." He said politely, taking her advice seriously. Strangely, he remembered her being much more nervous during his first day, but maybe she was just getting used to him. He hoped his classmates would follow. When she continued to look at him expectantly, he felt himself foraging around for something he might have forgotten.

The silence stretched to uncomfortable lengths and beyond. "...Do you even know my name?" The teacher asked like she couldn't believe it was even a possibility.

He had the grace to look abashed. "No." And then a beat later, "I apologize." The name of his teacher might have been mentioned by that first receptionist or even on his schedule paper, but he was pretty distracted that first day with the constant barrage of foreign sights. Plus, she was so different that day that she hardly left an impression on his memory.

An exasperated sigh. "It's _Tenjoin._ Please remember this time." It was kind of impressive how frank and direct Tenjoin-sensei was, considering how tiny she was. She even had to crane her neck a little to look him in the eye, which she didn't hesitate to do anymore. Yusei liked forthright people.

"I will." He said and meant it.

She considered him for a moment and seemed to accept his words as honesty. "Good. I'm expecting much from you. You can go back now." That was a first, most of the other teachers contented themselves to keep a broad berth and unconcern themselves with him.

His fingertips had just brushed the handle of the classroom door when she spoke up again. "Fudo-kun." He turned back to her face, which looked oddly hesitant just when he was starting to grow used to her new blunt personality. "...Be careful around Kaiba-kun." And she was gone in a swish of gray and navy fabric, black heels clicking down the hall.

He had already had his suspicions about Kaiba, and Tenjoin-sensei's warning only confirmed their validity. Once inside the classroom, which immediately hushed at his entry, he sat back down with his friends.

"Hey man." Jonouchi greeted carelessly and Yusei nodded in response. Kaiba was gone, back in his seat at the back of the class and looking worryingly pleased with himself underneath his air of regal stoicism. More importantly, Muto's face had a discomfited look.

"Is something the matter, Muto-san?"

"O-oh, no! I'm sorry Fudo-kun! I was just spacing out!" The smaller teen laughed nervously, much to his suspicion.

"Eh? Something's wrong?" The blonde at their table cut in.

"No, no! Nothing's wrong!"

"Are you sure?" Yusei prodded.

"Yes, Fudo-kun." Muto continued to insist that he was fine, despite their attempts to coax anything out of him. He was surprisingly stubborn at times and Yusei knew from past experience that once Muto clammed up you couldn't get a peep out of him. Class sped forward through the day and, to his deepening concern, Muto would not be walking home with him today. The gamer claimed he wanted stay with a teacher to talk about something. Yusei had offered to wait for him, but Jonouchi, casual an unsuspecting, accepted the story and pushed the two along.

And thus a restless Yusei trying and failing to relax and concentrate on his work. Judai and their cat watched him bemusedly from the floor, their lack of furniture leaving them without a proper table or couch. Cat and human sat on the floor at their coffee table, using spare cushions from the storage closet as padding for the hard floor. "Yusei, you've been acting weird since you got home. What's eating at you?" His roommate had put up with it for quite a while before he said anything about it, talking over the short stretch between the living room and the kitchen.

Yusei had grown as accustomed to being read so easily as he could by now, but this would be difficult to explain. "Nothing much. Just a bad feeling." Judai had cooked tonight, something simple and clumsily made, and Yusei was grateful for the menial chore of the clean-up to distract himself with.

"A gut feeling?"

"I guess." He preferred to think about things logically, but he generally trusted his instincts when they were screaming this loudly at him. "There's not much I can do now though."

Yusei could hear the click and fizzle of the brunette popping open a can of beer; he generally had one a night. "Well, then that's that right?" He said cheerfully, taking a deep swig as the younger male made a questioning noise.

"Well, like you said. There's nothing you can do, so there's no point in worrying now." He explained. "It'd be more productive to think about what you can do tomorrow if something _did_ happen."

The fact that he didn't bother telling Yusei _not _to worry at all was telling how well Judai knew him. It was helpful to have his thoughts cleared. "Thank you, Judai-san."

"Sure, no proble-"

_Knock knock._

Someone was at the door? Yusei cast a look at the kitchen wall clock, who's hands read eight o'clock. It was kind of late for a visit from just about anyone he knew. Maybe it was a friend of Judai's?

"Crap!" His roommate suddenly hissed. "Dude, we have to hide Pharaoh!"

"What?"

"The cat! Landlady! At the door!"

"_What?_"

There was a mad scrabble and whirlwind of movement as Judai ushered their illegal tenant into his room and Yusei hid away their meager cat-related objects. All the while the doorbell rang at timely intervals and in the back of his mind he wondered what kind of name was "Pharaoh"

"Alright, we're good, I think." Judai said with a big sigh and flopped back down at their makeshift table. The mechanic was closer to the door so it was unspoken that he be the one to open it.

Hoping that Pharaoh would stay quiet, he gripped the handle of their front door and opened it to let their landlady in. He had never met her because Judai handled all of the arrangements, something Yusei had preferred because she might not have rented to them if she saw his trackers. At this point their hefty down payment of three months worth of rent would have proved them to be reliable tenants, so hopefully she wouldn't see fit to do so now. High heels clicked and gray and navy fabric swished through the door.

"Fudo-kun?" It was his teacher, except now her blonde hair released from it's tight bun and left to cascade down her back. She looked as surprised to see him as he felt to see her.

"...Tenjoin-sensei?" Belatedly, he remembered to shut the door behind her.

"Are _you_ Judai's roommate?" First name basis? What? He nodded bemusedly and looked back-and-forth between Judai and the blonde woman, hoping for some kind of explanation.

The brunette only cocked his head. "Eh? You know Yusei, Asuka?"

She spared the older male a curt nod. "I guess I should introduce myself a little more." She smiled at Yusei, a friendly, but crisp, gesture. "I'm Tenjoin Asuka. Judai and I have been friends since we were very small. We currently go to the same school, but I'm substituting your homeroom teacher as a part-time job and lease this apartment." Wasn't that essentially two jobs on top of school?

"I know, right?" Judai snickered, who could somehow read Yusei's emotions despite the fact that he was _sure _he didn't move his face this time. "Asuka's a total badass."

"Enough of that." She said with a glitter in her eye and obviously suppressing a larger smile. "I only stopped by to check on you. To see how you moved in and if you were getting along with your roommate." Honey eyes glanced dryly at their sparse surroundings. "But I see I should have waited another week. Where are your furniture?" She asked with a tone that reminded him eerily of Martha. Asuka was likely asking a hypothetical question because she already knew the answer and didn't like it.

Judai laughed nervously. "Ah-ha. Well..."

"Yes?"

"Er- I might have forgotten to- well. I forgot to ask Yusei... if he had furniture too?" Judai had an exaggerated way of clumsily dancing around the topic if he knew it was going to get him into trouble. He was probably a horrible liar.

She just sighed tiredly. "I knew it. I _knew _you would forget to ask him first. I should have checked on that first before I let you handle your furniture-"

Judai cut in before she could develop into an exasperated tirade. "Asuka, Asuka, _relax_. We got this under control. Besides, I had a bunch of old crap I didn't need anyways."

Another sigh. It was becoming a common expression from his teacher. "Well, I know a good place. I'll send you the details later. _Don't_ dally around fixing this place up. If you don't do it now you'll never get it done. And a good kid like Yusei deserves a nice place while he's in school." It would seem his roommate had saved himself from a reaming, but Yusei had mixed feelings about being treated like a kid. On one hand, it was insulting after everything he'd been through, but on the other it was very kind of Tenjoin-sensei to say that. Yusei was pretty sure that was the first remotely nice thing he had heard any of his teachers say.

"I'm fine with it." He said, surprising the two. Like any old pair of friends that got to talking, they got wrapped up in their own little world and probably didn't notice he had hardly said a word since she walked in.

"Be that as it may, Judai has a responsibility to you." What were they, married? "Look you two, I'm busy right now-"

"You're _always _busy-"

"-and I have to get going. Keep an eye on your inbox, Judai, and remember what I said earlier!" She ignored Judai's picking like it was her true profession and fussed at him to get things done like she was his mother.

"I hear you. Take care!" He called.

She was already out the door and had poked her head back inside. "_Remember it_!"

She closed the door to Judai's laughter. There was a stretch of silence.

"Judai-san?"

"Yeah?"

"She wouldn't really kick us out, would she? Over Pharaoh?" Yusei phrased that more like a statement because he already knew the answer.

"Ha! Definitely not. I just don't wanna get chewed out." It would seem Judai was a little less reckless than he thought. Tenjoin-sensei was a good friend to him.

* * *

The next day proved his worries mostly unfounded, as Muto arrived to class just fine and in one piece. That being said, there was an oddly sad look about him and Kaiba was absent from class. "Are you alright?" He asked his downtrodden friend.

"Yeah, I think so." He said, staring at the grooves into his desk. "Kaiba-kun and I got into a fight." He admitted in a rare display of openness.

"Is that so? Just words?" Yusei probably couldn't _do _much against someone so rich and powerful, but the least he could do is take him down a peg or two by beating him at his own game. He was the kind of prideful person who couldn't stand losing.

Muto sighed, contrasting Tenjoin-sensei's tired one by sounding sad. "Yeah, just words. It's sad to fight with friends though." There was a little shift to his eyes, to the side, and Yusei immediately suspected there might have been more than words. He couldn't see any injuries on his friend and he would be in a much bigger panic if Kaiba did anything else, so Yusei didn't press the matter any further.

"It is." He agreed, despite the fact that Kaiba was anything but a friend.

* * *

**Sorry for the long A/N in the beginning! I just really love that I get to interact and talk to you guys. I know a lot of people really hate overly long A/N, but strong author/reader interaction is the one greatest privilege that fanfic authors get to enjoy over professionals, and I like to take full advantage of it. So. If you don't like long A/N be prepared because that's probably not going to change. At least I provide decently long chapters in exchange!**

As always, thanks for taking the time to read Nux Historia and leave a review to tell me what you think of this latest chapter!


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